Overview
Seasoned gig-goers often consider it en vogue to overlook supporting acts, in favour of an ostensibly efficient and timely arrival for the main attraction. However, should you have arrived fashionably late to this weekend’s sold-out Broods headline show at Oxford Art Factory, you dearly missed out.
Supporting acts East and Jarryd James, accompanied by an elusive Matt Corby on keys no less, treated earlycomers to a new crop of delectable Australian talent. Kicking off the festivities was quirky Central Coast songstress East, serving up a refreshing blend of bittersweet indie-folk-pop. Having been both signed and dropped from Universal Music (US) by the age of fourteen, a character-building talisman of success experienced by many a now-superstar (Bruno Mars, Katy Perry and Lady Gaga included), East exudes a defiant sense of maturity and stage presence well beyond her 16 years of age.
Delivering an effortlessly raw and earnest set, East’s soulfully compelling jazz-hued vocals dispelled melancholy and playfully self-deprecating lyricism. Smatterings of her Australian accent endearingly shimmered through her vocal delivery, tallying to her authentic and wholesome appeal. Talented, charming and unpretentious, and with her recently released Old Age EP produced by the legendary John Castle (Vance Joy, Washington, Josh Pyke), East is undeniably on the up.
Fronting an unshakeable amount of swagger, headline act Broods then proceeded to show the crowd exactly why they sold-out shows across both Sydney and Melbourne. Whilst the duo's chart-topping, eponymously titled debut EP typically purveys haunting husky vocals, complemented by a minimalist beat style with washes of ambient layers courtesy of producer Joel Little (Lorde, Kids of 88), their live set told a different story.
Dressed in a futuristic, white mesh one-piece reminiscent of Leeloo (Milla Jovovich) in The Fifth Element, Broods' Georgia Nott flaunted a disarmingly flawless vocal performance delivered with an understated ferocity that seemed to increase the poignancy of the original recording. With her vocals brought more prominently to the forefront, the choruses on Broods' most beloved tracks such as 'Bridges' and 'Never Gonna Change' reached new heights and guided the rapturous crowd into a more energetic sonic space.
If their live performance is anything to go by, Broods' debut album Evergreen (out August 22 via Island Records) carries the potential to exceed the band's current buzz as one of New Zealand's next big musical exports.